Category: PTSOS

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Afternoon Sessions Schedule: Spring Meeting

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

(See complete Friday/Saturday agenda here)

Contributed Papers, Video Clips & computer Bits – room 307

2:00 iFly Indoor Skydiving –Field Trips – Cailin Creighton

A discussion of physics topics relating to skydiving, indoor skydiving, and the operation of vertical wind tunnels.  Also, information on how to bring your students on a field trip to a vertical wind tunnel for an educational program that includes experiments, a lecture, a tour, and flying!

2:20 Wind Energy: A Sustainable Future? – Scott Perry

Other than hydro-electric and nuclear power wind energy has been by far the most robust of what many are calling green-energy.  What are our prospects for moving to a more sustainable balance between human needs and the Earth’s resources?

2:40 Lunar Lander Project – Byron Philhour

Students in AP Physics learn Excel and simulate the Apollo missions to the moon over the course of a semester.

3:00 Not the Usual Coupled Oscillators – Bernard Cleyet

The Keynote shows pics of the app. and motion pics. (Video?) of the normal modes, etc.

3:20 Bree Barnett Dreyfuss

Using Class Facebook Fan Pages

Our students are often on the cutting edge of new communication technology while teachers may take a little longer to catch up. Don’t be left behind! Try using Facebook to communicate with students and share information away from school. Although class websites offer a breadth of information and resources not easily shared elsewhere, they are not interactive for students. Come learn how my Facebook Fan Page is used and how to set up your own!

Quick & Dirty (& Fun) Physics Demoes – room 306

2:00  Physics Magic – Chuck Hunt

Magic tricks to use in class.

2:20 Constant Velocity Cars – Lee Trampleasure

An intro lab from the Modeling curriculum, in this activity students measure the position of electric toy cars every couple seconds, then graph position vs time to discover velocity is change in position / change in time.

2:40 Modulated LED and Modulated Coil – Don Rathjen

The original versions are in the Square Wheels book co-authored by myself and Paul Doherty, published by the Exploratorium in 2002. I’ll  show “updated” versions using an iPod to replace a transistor radio in both demos, and an LED flashlight to replace an LED plus resistor in the Modulated LED

3:00 The Visible Speaker, Coupled Coils, Lamps & More – Stuart Loucks

Some surprising E&M demoes

3:20 – 4:00 As Many Demoes As We can Do In 40 Minutes – ARC Staff

Something for everyone!!!

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Nuclear Energy Conference for Educators

NEED, Washington and Lee University, and the Lenfest Foundation are happy to announce the 2nd Nuclear Energy Conference for Educators, July 25- 29 2010. Up to 50 educators from across the country will be accepted to participate in this exciting training program in Charlottesville, Virginia.  For more information or to apply, visit www.need.org/nuclear.

The conference includes speakers and presentations from noted experts in the field, including Dr. Frank Settle of Washington and Lee University and Dr. Charles Ferguson of the Federation of American Scientists as well as NEED’s nuclear education team. The conference is a mix of presentations and hands-on activities designed to expand knowledge of energy and nuclear energy while providing teachers with resources to take back to their classrooms and use easily. Plans for the conference include a tour of the North Anna Nuclear Information Center and AREVA’s nuclear operations and training facility in Lynchburg. (AREVA is the world leader in the design and construction of nuclear power plants and research reactors, engineering, instrumentation, and related services to the nuclear industry.)

Educators teaching grades 6-12 are encouraged to apply. All expenses will be covered by the conference sponsors.

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NCNAAPT Spring Meeting: American River College: April 16-17, 2010

April 16, 2010; Friday Evening Social

Technical Aspects of the “World’s Fastest” Aircraft: SR-71 (Blackbird)

Gerry Glasser

7:00 PM – American River College, Room 306

Jerry was an instructor pilot with 900 hrs on the SR-71. He now teaches at Jesuit High School. Presentation starts with the development of the aircraft, the Soviet response, crew requirements, and those “secret questions” that are no longer secret.

Soft drinks and cookies provided

RSVP to Chuck Hunt would be appreciated to let Jerry know how many info packets to bring.

huntc@arc.losrios.edu; phone: (916)484-8342

April 17, 2010, Saturday

Oldie But Goodie Demonstrations

The theme of this meeting is demonstrations we all know and love — because we don’t all know them. So bring a few favorite demos to share. You’ll have 15 minutes total for set-up, take-down and doing the demos and explaining how you use them. But don’t worry that everyone may have seen them before; everyone will find something to take away. We’ll run at least two tracks in the afternoon:

  1. Quick & dirty (Quick and Fun!) demos
  2. Video clips & computer bits

You may bring your own demo equipment, or ask, we have a lot of stuff. For track 2, there will be full projection set-up for Mac and for PC (including computer if you want it) that can also project DVD or VHS.

The goal is to give everyone a lot of ideas to take away. For demos, please send Chuck Hunt a description of your demos along with any AV or equipment requests, preferably by email at: huntc@arc.losrios.edu . He will compile all the demos into a NCNAAPT Demonstration Book for all attendees to have. For video clips & computer bits, please either have a site where the material is available or bring it on flash drive or DVD. We will set up a copy station and do DVDs of all submitted material for anyone who wants it. In either case, let Chuck know what you are doing so he can organize the tracks and minimize duplication.

Deadline for submission is Friday, March 26, 2010.

If you haven’t given a presentation at a conference before, this is a great time to start!

Program

Morning Session: American River College, Room 420

8:00 Registration, Coffee, Donuts, and other culinary delights (outside Room 420)

9:00 Welcome and Announcements

9:15 Show and Tell

Share your favorite demonstration or teaching tip. Handouts appreciated – bring 75 copies. Time limit of 5 minutes per person or you risk the dreaded Gong!

10:15 Break

10:30 Invited Speaker: Dr. Bill Reay; Ohio State University

Clickers in the Classroom – A Research-Based Approach

Based on the hypothesis that learning is context dependent, a new Clicker methodology has been developed that uses question sequences rather than individual questions. Each question in a sequence has the same underlying concept, but with different surface features. Sequences sufficient to cover a year of introductory physics have been created, validated, used at several schools, and evaluated at The Ohio State University for learning gains. The audience will use clickers to answer a couple of sequences and experience first-hand the advantages of this approach. Then, the 4-year development process will be summarized, with emphasis on the importance of student interviews. After the presentation, interested individuals will be able to obtain free CDs containing all question sequences and relevant publications.

11:30 Invited Speaker: Ken Crawford; President: Advanced Imaging Conference, Inc.

The Universe from my Backyard

Ken is one of the leading amateur astrophotographers in the world. If you read ASTRONOMY magazine, you will have seen his spectacular photographs. See examples of his work and hear how he does it.

12:15 Lunch – ARC Catering

(Outside Room 420)

12:30-2:00 ARC Demo Tours

Rooms 305, 306, 307

1:30 Business Meeting, Raffle

Room 420

2:00-? 15 Minute Demonstrations

A carousel of demonstrations, videos, and computer bits: See our web site after April 1st for a list of presentations that members will be presenting. These rooms are next to one another so you can move between them as your desires lead you.

Room 307 – Video Clips & Computer Bits

Room 306 – Quick & Dirty (Quick and Fun!) Demos

Room 305 – Contributed Papers

See complete list of afternoon presentations here.

Registration information

Registration is free for first-time attendees and students!

The rest of us pay only $25–which includes a lunch. A bargain at twice the price! Lunch tickets for first time attendees and students will be available for $15). Please RSVP to Chuck Hunt if you will probably attend so we know how many lunches are required. Vegetarian option available.

We will have ‘proof of attendance’ letters documenting attendance for any teacher who needs one for their district/credential professional development purposes.

Accommodations

There are three hotels nearby: Motel 6 ($50), La Quinta Inn ($55-75), and Holiday Inn ($99-133). See map below for locations and directions

Driving Directions:

  • From Interstate 80, just north of Sacramento, exit east on Madison Avenue.
  • At the third signal, turn right onto College Oak Drive.
  • At the second light turn left onto Myrtle Avenue. ARC parking lots will be on your right.
  • Turn into the 4th entrance to parking lots A/B.

Park at the south end of the lot on the left (lot A) in front of the brick buildings in the AAPT marked area. Follow the signs to Room 306 for the Friday Night Social or to Room 420 on Saturday morning. No parking pass is required if you park in the AAPT area.

View ARC Accomodations in a larger map

Local Host: Chuck Hunt

email: huntc@arc.losrios.edu

phone: (916)484-8342

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April Astronomy Workshop for Teachers in Grades 3-12 (Free Telescope Included)

In the Footsteps of Galileo: A Hands-on Workshop on Astronomy for Teachers in Grades 3 ­ 12

Saturday, April 24, 2010, 9:00am ­ 4:30pm
Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA (see map at bottom of this post)
Presented by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP)

Workshop participants will explore:

  • The realms of astronomy, and our changing perception of the universe
  • Recent NASA moon missions (with information and activities about the Moon from the NASA Lunar Science Institute)
  • An introduction to Galileo, his life, work and legacy
  • Ideas about student reasoning about science and how to help students think like scientists
  • Recreating Galileo¹s observations of the moons of Jupiter and the phases of the Moon
  • The Galileoscope: a simple telescope with many uses
  • Classroom-ready astronomy resources for teachers & students
  • Where to find the best astronomy activities in print and on the web.

Presenters include:

  • Andrew Fraknoi (Chair of Astronomy Department, Foothill College and the 2007 California Professor of the Year)
  • Brad Bailey (Staff Scientist, NASA Lunar Science Institute)
  • Brian Day (Education and Public Outreach, NASA Lunar Science Institute)
  • Brian Kruse (Astronomical Society of the Pacific)

Registration:

$15 for ASP members and Project ASTRO partners; $25 for everyone else. For more information, and to register, please go to: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/gttp/workshop04-24-10.html

For their registration fees, workshop participants will receive:

  • A Galileoscope (a high-quality, small telescope developed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009; now retailing for $30)
  • A packet of hands-on activities, background information and resource guides ready for immediate use in the classroom
  • NASA lunar science resources
  • Lunch provided

No background in astronomy is required; both new and veteran teachers will learn new ideas and techniques from the workshop. Registration is limited; reservations will be accepted in the order received.

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, founded in 1889, is dedicated to sharing the excitement of our exploration of the universe with teachers, students, enthusiasts and the public.  It is the largest and most active astronomy education organization in the world.


View NCNAAPT meeting locations in a larger map

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NCN AAPT Spring Meeting / Mini Conference

Friday & Saturday April 16th & 17th, 2010

American River College

Sacramento, CA (see map below)
Local Host: Chuck Hunt: email: Huntc@arc.losrios.edu

Sign up to present

Call for Presentations

We solicit presentations of 15 minutes in length. Suitable topics include teaching ideas, research projects, laboratory techniques, novel demonstrations, computers and instruction. Please send an abstract of your talk, with title, your name and affiliation, AV and equipment requests, and other requirements to the Program Chairman, Paul Robinson, preferably by email at laserpablo@aol.com. Deadline for submission is Friday, March 5, 2010.

Call for Demonstrations

Bring your favorite 5-minute demonstration for the popular “Show ‘n’ Tell”. Handouts describing your demonstration are encouraged. Likewise, giving contributed papers as Show ‘N Tells is specifically discouraged. Offenders will be gonged! Sign ups are day of the event, first come, first served (although it seems those who signs up always gets to present!). Do you have a great resource you want to share but are nervous about presenting to your peers? Our Show ‘n’ Tell is low pressure and a great place to give your first presentation at a teaching conference!

Program

Friday Evening Social

Plan on getting together Friday evening before the meeting. More details to follow in the program. We’ll also provide references for local lodging for Friday evening.

Saturday meeting/mini conference

Saturday starts at 8:00 with registration and socializing, and usually finishes 3:30/4:00. We have a brief business meeting around lunch time. Coffee/donuts is provided, and lunch is usually available for a reasonable price (reservations for lunch required). Exact details will be published once we have our speaker list set.

Other details

Dues and Don’ts

Section dues are $25 per year, due each Fall. If you cannot attend the meeting, remain an active member that will ensure you’ll receive all our mailings by sending dues to our treasurer Dennis Buckley, Liberty High School, 850 Second St., Brentwood, CA 94513. The registration fee for the Spring meeting is $10, payable at the door. First-timers are free! And don’t forget PTSOS participants—your dues are already paid!

Physics Teacher SOS (PTSOS)

PTSOS is an NCN-AAPT-sponsored project, funded by a substantial donation, allowing AAPT to deliver top quality help to physics teachers in their vulnerable first years of teaching. Workshops are now conducted in both San Mateo and Sacramento. Other veteran teachers are being signed up to help out small groups of local teachers through mentorships and also to help run workshops. Interested teachers are encouraged to visit the website (www.ptsos.org) and contact outreach coordinator Stephanie Finander at sfinander@sbcglobal.net for more information.

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Other Upcoming AAPT Events

  • Winter AAPT Meeting, Washington DC, February 13-17, 2010
  • Summer Meeting, AAPT, Portland Oregon, July 17-21, 2010
  • Fall Meeting, NCN AAPT, 2010, not yet scheduled